Mike Ford, cautioning us that there are responsible and irresponsible uses of numbers, warns us that only God's numerical patterns are reliable, while all humanly-devised uses of numbers, such as horoscopes, are bogus. Satan has from the beginning attacked God's numerical patterns, but to God's called-out ones, they remain clear. The number 1 is divisible by one: God is one; Christ is the first and the last; there is one body and one Shepherd, as opposed to Satan's "trinitarian" teaching that one is three. The number 2 suggests duality, as the duality of man and woman, old and new covenant, two witnesses, and the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments. The number 3 indicates the finality of judgment, as in the three righteous patriarchs before the Flood, three annual feasts, three days and nights Christ was in the grave. The number 4 indicates God's revelation of Himself, as in the four seasons and the fourth Commandment. The number 5 signifies the number of grace as in the five books of the Law and five books of the Psalms. The number 6 is the number of man with all his mistakes, culminating in the number of the Beast—666. The number 7 is the number of completions, such as seven days of creation, seven annual holy Days, and the seven plagues of the last days.

Richard Ritenbaugh, comparing the plain biblical account of Christ's resurrection occurring exactly three days and three nights after His burial with Christendom's miscalculation of one and one half days, claims the latter account did not derive from Scripture, but from rank paganism. This miscalculation results in Christendom's false teaching that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday morning, not at the last moments of the Sabbath, some twelve hours earlier. The world's churches have adopted the fertility symbols of chocolate Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, and the traditional Easter ham from pagan rituals pre-dating Christianity. The eating of pig-flesh supposedly honors Tammuz, the son-husband of the goddess Ishtar, who was killed by a wild boar. The Easter bonnet supposedly celebrates the cycle of fertility. If we honor Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of the dead, serving as our Mediator and High-Priest, the trappings of rank paganism have no appeal, but are decidedly repulsive.

Richard Ritenbaugh, focusing on the significance of the third day as a biblical motif, reiterates that the third day indicates a colossal turn-around from hopelessness and despair to victory and jubilation. The motif is also displayed in a secular event, the Battle of Gettysburg, in which, after two days of intense pounding from the Confederate Army, the Union forces finally rallied, turning the course of history around, to the ultimate saving of the Union. The third day rally, or revival motif, recurs throughout Scripture. For example, it manifests itself in David's sacrifice at the threshing floorof Aruna, when David finally realized the horrible depth of his sin. This action rallied Israel, leading to the construction of Solomon's Temple and a golden age for Israel. On the third day of creation, the sea and land were separated and seed life began to germinate. Another example is Jonah's revival from the belly of the great fish on the third day, which prefigured Christ's resurrection on the third day, at which time He was restored to His former glory. His post-resurrected body established His identity as the Messiah and Son of God. The disciples at that time internalized prophetic connections that were previously only academic in their thinking Isaac's rescue from certain death was another third day event, providing a type of Christ's resurrection. Because of Abraham's sterling obedience on this third day, his physical and spiritual offspring were richly blessed. After three days, Pharaoh's butler was restored, as Joseph's interpretation of his dream forecasted. Esther's petition before the king, restoring the well-being of her people, occurred on the third day. The Great Tribulation, using a year for a day principle, (two days of Satan's wrath and one day of God's wrath) will have its dramatic turn-around on the third day, when God's government will destroy and replace all the Satanic governments and replace them with the Kingdom of God. After incredible pain comes an indescribable reward.

David Maas recounts a recent experience in which he was able to appreciate the beauty and construction of a previously enigmatic symphonic work by spontaneously discovering its leitmotif (recurring musical pattern), which had eluded him for over 4 2 years. God's signature, the repeatable pattern of the recurring number seven, can be seen in astronomy, geology, physics, chemistry, genetics, and all other sciences, which are merely alternate expositions of the mind of God eternally present before the foundation of the world. God's perennial leitmotif, the recurring 7, analogized by the ascending 7 note musical scale, is embedded throughout Scripture, beginning with the seven days of creation (with a 24/7 cycle beginning in Genesis 1;14) and the weekly Sabbath, the appointed times outlined in Leviticus 23, including the Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, the counting for Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the last Great Day, as well as the embedded patterns of seven revealed in the gematria of the Hebrew and Greek texts. The Bible itself has a seven- part division with 22 books (using the Jewish numbering) in the Old Testament, containing the Law, Prophets, and Writings) and 27 books in the New Testament, containing the Gospels, History, Letters, and Prophecy, adding up to 49, or 7 times 7. God's called-out ones, by keeping the seventh say Sabbath, have been metaphorically plucking a harp of seven strings on a weekly basis since their calling, every year rehearsing God's appointed Holy Days, spiraling and ascending continually to a higher level of understanding. The new song sung by the 144,000 will likely be based on existing spiritual motifs and scales practiced throughout the sanctification process, motifs to which the rest of the world is oblivious.

Richard Ritenbaugh, examining the Apostle's Creed, a formulated statement of the chief articles of Christian belief, in probability crafted by believers of the first century as a memory tool summarizing what the apostles taught, points out that absolutely no concept of a trinity appears in this document (a notion that did not appear in Catholicism or Orthodoxy until the 4th Century at the Council of Nicaea). Further, the Apostle's Creed provides a powerful affirmation of the Resurrection and Eternal Life as a cardinal doctrine. In the formative years of our previous fellowship, the death of Christ and putting away sin was emphasized, but His Resurrection from the Dead was sadly de-emphasized because it was felt that it brought to mind Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox associations with Easter worship. The doctrine of Christ's resurrection is of paramount importance to us, because Christ alone has the keys to our own resurrection and eternal life as First Fruits. The reality of Christ's resurrection permeates the New Testament from John's vision of the resurrected, glorified Christ to the boldness expressed by Christ's disciples and other eye-witnesses to this miraculous event recorded in the Gospels. Paul's encapsulation of the Resurrection in I Corinthians 15 was perhaps the template for the Apostle's Creed. Paul assures the Corinthians that if Christ has not risen from the Dead, paving the way for our resurrection, our whole practice of religion is futile and useless. But the reality of the Resurrection is: (1) Jesus became our Mediator and High Priest, (2) allowing us to have a relationship with God the Father. Through the New Covenant, He has put His Laws into our hearts and minds. As the Second Adam, the First Born resurrected from the dead, He has opened the door of the resurrection and eternal life for those who believe. There is absolutely no resurrection apart from our active relationship with Jesus Christ, striving to emulate Him in every area of life, enduring to the end, when we too will be chan

Richard Ritenbaugh, asserting that there is far more corroboration of evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ and his life experiences than that regarding Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar, lampoons the smug, self-important 'scholars' who craft contorted, mind-bending, absurd theories of supposedly more believable explanations for the "impossible" resurrection of Christ. Tacitus and the Talmud, both highly respected non-Biblical sources, corroborate the veracity of the events of the Crucifixion. Nevertheless, crackpot theories abound, attempting to explain away this event, including: (1) the women, confused about direction, went to the wrong tomb, (2) the disciples stole the body and then claimed He was resurrected, (3) the disciples colluded on a bogus deception, (4) someone else died on the cross in His place, and (5) the whole event of the crucifixion, as well as the multiple occasions in which He talked to people, was a powerful mass hallucination, (6) Jesus was not really dead but preserved Himself with a drug-induced coma, allowing Him to later escape from the tomb. Pilate, the Centurion, and Joseph of Arimathea all corroborated the stark reality of Christ's death. The precautions Pilate took to seal the tomb refutes any notion of the disciples stealing the body. The vast number of eye witnesses precludes any notion of a hoax or collusion on the part of fanatic followers. The once timid followers of Christ were emboldened by His resurrection, and were now willing to put their lives on the line. Twenty-seven separate documents—the books of the New Testament—provide evidence of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, providing far more evidence than the minimum required in a court of law. All of this testimony gives us confidence and hope of a resurrection for us as well.

David Grabbe, focusing on the sign of Jonah, asserts that there is much more to it than the timing of three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, debunking the nonsense of a Friday afternoon 'good' Friday to Sunday Morning "Easter" cycle. It appears likely that Jonah may have been literally dead when he was cast into the sea, with the great fish serving as his coffin rather than his domicile for that time. When God then resurrected Jonah, the reluctant prophet preached a powerful message of repentance, leading the entire population of Nineveh to fast and repent, sparing them from destruction. Jonah had fled from his responsibility, opting for self-sacrifice rather than to be used by God for something he considered distasteful, facilitating the future demise of his people. All of us have similarly turned away from God's will for us; it should come as no surprise that God lovingly sends disruptions our way to get us back on His trajectory. Both Jonah and Jesus Christ were prophets of God, preaching repentance and seeing the positive fruits of their preaching. Both Jonah and Christ provoked their own people to jealousy by preaching a message which admitted Gentiles into God's plan of salvation. While Nineveh repented and was spared, Judah did not repent, and consequently witnessed their temple desecrated and destroyed, failing to see that when anyone repents and turns from his evil ways, God relents and forgives.

David C. Grabbe: In the face of the Bible's consistent teaching, theologians justify their breaking of the Sabbath and their worship on Sunday by saying that they are honoring the day of Christ's resurrection. ...

John Ritenbaugh, suggesting that all of us in the church of God had a misconception about this day, focuses upon an understanding of the Last Great Day. The New Testament is needed to put the true stamp of authority to the Holy Days of the Old Testament. In John 7:37, this address was given on the last day of the feast, the day before the Last Great Day. Jesus Christ was crucified on a Wednesday on the Passover, the 14th of Abib, in the afternoon in 31AD (before an annual high holy day) and was resurrected on a Sabbath. We calculate this event using the Hebrew calendar, using the customary postponements. All days, from Passover to Tabernacles, are named in the Bible, except for the Last Great Day, having received its name from the Radio Church of God. From John 7-9, we learn that the Jews invariably misunderstood Jesus Christ's doctrines, having been muddled by their worldly traditions. The Feast of Tabernacles represents a time when God's government will extend over the entire earth. The seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles is indeed a great day. The Feast of Tabernacles is only seven days long. The eighth day was a separate festival, apart from the Feast of Tabernacles, which can only derive its significance in the New Testament, namely the Day of Judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment, the second resurrection, a time Christ will judge.

Richard Ritenbaugh observes that over two billion people faithfully observe an annual "holy week," consisting of Palm Sunday, Good Friday (the supposed time of the crucifixion), and Easter Sunday. Human tradition and Bible truth do not square. The overwhelming historical chronological evidence clashes with the traditions of billions of people. The sovereign God has been in control of history from the beginning of mankind. God makes things happen when He wants them to happen and in the way they happen. Whether the event happened in 30 AD or 31 AD, the crucifixion occurred on a Wednesday rather than a Friday. Extensive scholarship into the lunar eclipses occurring near the death of Herod, the ascendancy of his son Archaleus, and the reign of Tiberias Caesar corroborates this conclusion. Scripture gives us internal evidence with the accusation that Jesus could tear down a temple constructed by Herod 46 years earlier. Other internal evidence comes from the careful marking of the Holy Days occurring during Christ's three and one half year ministry (prophesied by Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy) in both the synoptic gospels and John's Gospel. The crucifixion took place in the middle of a literal week, with Christ remaining in the grave a full three days and three nights, and resurrected at the end of a Sabbath at sunset. Nowhere in any of the gospels does it say Christ rose on Sunday morning, but that He had already risen. The triumphal entry (labeled by the world as Palm Sunday) actually occurred on Thursday, Nisan 8. Jesus was selected as Passover Lamb on Nisan 10 (John 12:28).

Richard T. Ritenbaugh: Some try to say that the phrase "in the heart of the earth" in Matthew 12:40 does not mean buried in a grave or tomb. Those who support this theory say that heart implies "middle of" or "midst of," and earth should really be translated as "country" or "world." Thus, the argument runs, Jesus is actually saying that He would be three days and nights in Jerusalem, since it was the center of the nations according to Ezekiel 5:5. However, this argument holds no water. ...

Richard T. Ritenbaugh: For most people, it is a difficult undertaking to buck tradition. There is perhaps no clearer illustration of just how hard it is to throw off the habitual practices of our families and fellow countrymen than in our holiday celebrations. This is doubly true when speaking about religious holidays, such as Easter and Christmas. ...

...To Catholics and many Protestants, Good Friday is a semi-holy day commemorating the day Jesus died nearly two thousand years ago. These same people celebrate Easter Sunday two days later, rejoicing that Jesus rose from the dead. What has always been confusing is how normally reasonable people can observe these days that are so woefully contradictory to the biblical accounts of Christ's death and resurrection. And this is without getting into the obvious pagan fertility symbols of bunnies and eggs that have nothing whatsoever to do with the awesome significance of the death, burial, and resurrection of mankind's Savior. ...

We in God's church generally know very little about the wavesheaf offering, even though it represents one of the most significant acts of God's Plan: the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ! John Ritenbaugh explains its relevance to us today.

It is revealed that Jesus was Emmanuel—that is, "God with us"—GOD in the human flesh. He was both God and man. He was divine, as well as human. Can God die? Was Jesus really dead, or did only His body die? Was Jesus the Divine One alive during the three days and three nights a body was in the tomb? Here is a brief, pointed answer.

Jesus said He would be three days and three nights in the tomb, but that is impossible in a Friday crucifixion-Sunday resurrection scenario. Herbert Armstrong explains from the Bible when our Savior rose from the grave.

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